Schickele, Peter

Schickele, Peter, American composer and musical humorist; b. Ames, Iowa, July 17, 1935. He was educated at Swarthmore Coll. (B.A., 1957) and studied composition with Harris in Pittsburgh (1954), Milhaud at the Aspen (Colo.) School of Music (1959), and Persichetti and Bergsma at the Juilliard School of Music in N.Y. (M.S., 1960). After serving as composer-in-residence to the Los Angeles public schools (1960–61), he taught at Swarthmore Coll. (1961–62) and at the Juilliard School of Music (from 1962). He rocketed to fame at N.Y.’s Town Hall on April 24, 1965, in the rollicking role of the roly-poly character P.D.Q. Bach, the mythical composer of such outrageous travesties as The Civilian Barber, Gross Concerto for Divers Flutes (featuring a Nose Flute and a Wiener Whistle to be eaten during the perf.), Concerto for Piano vs. Orchestra, Iphigenia in Brooklyn, The Seasonings, Pervertimento for Bagpipes, Bicycles & Balloons, No-No Nonette, Schleptet, Fuga Meshuga, Missa Hilarious, Sanka Cantata, Fantasie-Shtick, and the opera The Abduction of Figaro (Minneapolis, April 24, 1984). He pubi. The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach (1807–1742?) (N.Y., 1976). In 1967 he organized a chamber-rock-jazz trio known as Open Window, which frequently presented his serious compositions; among these are several orch. works, vocal pieces, film and television scores, and chamber music. In later years, he was host of his own radio program, “Schickele Mix.”.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire